Sundar Geetha Rajashekar is a Carnatic singer from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. [1] She is an All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan artiste. [2] She is on the panel of artistes selected by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi.
Geetha Rajashekar started learning Carnatic music at an early age in New Delhi and completed her studies under Sangeetha Kalanidhi Smt and D.K. Pattammal.
She has travelled extensively within India and abroad for concerts, and has been on tour to the US, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and London. Several of her performances have been recorded.
She is the "Founder Trustee" of the Ragalaya Trust, dedicated to the cause of Carnatic Music. She teaches Carnatic music at her own school, Madhura Geetham, in Chennai, with a branch in Toronto Canada where she goes on teaching assignments every year during the summer. She is also a visiting guest professor at Annamalai University Canada Campus.
She has been awarded the titles of "Isai Maamani", "Naadha Bhushani", "Bala Rathna" and "Isai Selvam", the latter conferred by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
She has won prizes from the Music Academy, Shri Krishna Gana Sabha, and The Indian Fine Arts Society during their Annual Music Festivals.
Geetha Rajashekar is married to SS Rajashekar, son of former union minister Chidambaram Subramaniam, [3] and currently resides in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Chidambaram Subramaniam, was an Indian politician and independence activist. He served as Minister of Finance and Minister of Defence in the union cabinet. He later served as the Governor of Maharashtra. As the Minister for Food and Agriculture, he ushered the Indian Green Revolution, an era of self-sufficiency in food production along with M. S. Swaminathan, B. Sivaraman and Norman E. Borlaug. He was awarded Bharat Ratna, Indian's highest civilian award, in 1998, for his role in ushering Green Revolution.
Chennai Music Season is an event hosted every Mid November–January in Chennai Tamil Nadu. Spanning some 9 weeks, it comprises top-flight professional and amateur musicians. The traditional role of the Music Season is to allow aficionados of Carnatic music to appreciate performances by renowned artists, and to allow promising young artists to display their talent and skill. Audiences and artists come from across India and her diaspora to enjoy the season.
Sudha Ragunathan is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, singer and composer. She was conferred the Kalaimamani award by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1994, Padma Shri (2004) and Padma Bhushan (2015) by the Government of India, and Sangeetha Kalanidhi by Madras Music Academy in 2013.
Sheik Chinna Moulana, popularly known as Sheik, was a legendary nadhaswaram player in the Carnatic tradition. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1998. He achieved high position through his outstanding control over the instrument, rendering the Krities in the Gayaki style and for his extraordinary style of Raga Alapana.
P. V. Subramaniam, popularly known as Subbudu, was one of the most important dance and music critics of India. He was born on 27 March 1917, and died in New Delhi on 29 March 2007, only two days after his 90th birthday.
"Bombay" Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, singer, and musician. She has sung in multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi movies. Born into a family of musicians, Jayashri represents the fourth generation of music practitioners in her family. Trained by Lalgudi Jayaraman and T.R. Balamani, she was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2021. She has become one of the most sought after Carnatic musicians today.
Sirkazhi Govindarajan was an Indian Tamil Carnatic vocalist and a leading playback singer of Indian cinema.
Nisha P. Rajagopalan, is a Carnatic musician. Her mother, Vasundhara Rajagopal, is an established disciple of Gopala Iyer, a descendant of Koteeswara Iyer, the prominent composer. Nisha commenced her training in vocal music from her mother, and later received training from T. R. Subramaniam, Calcutta Krishnamoorthy, Suguna Varadachary, and P. S. Narayanswamy.
Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam is a mridangam Vidwan from a family of traditional musicians in the Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu, India. He is the recipient of the prestigious Sangeetha Kalanidhi award from The Madras Music Academy for 2021.
Sangita Kalanidhi Aruna Sairam is an Indian classical vocalist and carnatic music singer. She is a recipient of the Padma Shri award from the Government of India and was elected as the Vice Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Academy by the Government of India until 2022. In 2011, Aruna was the first Carnatic musician to perform at the BBC proms in London. She is also the first Carnatic musician to perform in Oud Festival of Israel (Jerusalem).
Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram is a Carnatic music vocalist and cinema playback singer from Chennai.
R. K. Shriramkumar is a virtuoso violinist and accompanist of the Carnatic Music. He hails from the Rudrapatna family of musicians from Karnataka. He is the grandson of the violinist R. K. Venkatarama Shastri and grand-nephew of R. K. Srikanthan.
S. R. D. Vaidyanathan was an Indian musician who played the Nadaswaram.
Saroja Vaidyanathan is a choreographer, guru and a notable exponent of Bharatanatyam. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2013 by the Government of India.
Madras Kadiravelu Saroja, is an Indian classical dancer, known for her expertise, as an exponent and as a teacher, in the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. The Government of India honored her, in 2011, with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to the field of art and culture.
Srimathumitha is an Indian playback and Carnatic singer who sings mainly in Tamil. She has also sung in Telugu, Hindi and Kannada songs. Some of her notable songs are "Azhage Azhage" from the movie Oru Kal Oru Kannadi, "Valayapatti Thavile" from the movie Azhagiya Tamil Magan, "Kanaa Kaanum Kalangal" from the movie 7G Rainbow Colony, and "Rathathin Rathame" from the movie Velayudham. She is one of the leading playback singers in today’s film music scenario. She has sung for leading music directors like Ilayaraja, Harris Jayaraj, Yuvan Shankar Raja, A. R. Rahman, Bharadwaj, Deva, S. A. Rajkumar, and Bharani. She emerged as the "Best Voice of 2002" in the TV Reality Show Rajageetham conducted by RAJ TV. She is the first playback singer to win the Vikadan Awards started in 2004, which was juried by late Sujatha. A. R. Rahman has featured her in 2 songs in the soundtrack of Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.
Dr Shobana Vignesh is an Indian classical and devotional vocalist and a former actor. She is known as 'Mahanadhi' Shobana from her role in the film Mahanadi.
Tanjavur R. Ramamoorthy was a vidwan in Indian classical music, playing Carnatic music on the mridangam, an ancient Indian percussion instrument. The mridangam is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble, and in the Dhrupad genre, where it is known as a pakhawaj.
Subramanian Jaya Jananiy, also known as Cuddalore Janani and S. J. Janani, is an Indian musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She was bestowed with National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement in 2001 by Government of India. Jananiy was also awarded with Kalai Ilamani Award in 2003 by Government of Tamil Nadu. Jananiy is trained in Carnatic classical music, Hindustani classical music and Western Classical Music. She is also a keyboardist and pianist and plays violin, veena and guitar for studio recording. Jananiy is a B HIGH Grade Artiste at All India Radio.